Intimidating gym instructors
To continue with a theme of things that intimidate me, let me make a confession. Gym and fitness instructors scare me a little.
Now that I've put that out there, feel free to heap scorn upon my head, but first let me explain myself.
In my pursuit of fitness I have known plenty of lovely gym instructors. It's because they try to push me or get me to do exercises I find hard. That is not why they intimidate me at all. It’s not even really their fitness levels because in some areas I think I’m nearly as fit as a few.
So what's the source of their magical powers of intimidation? Part of it lies in their knowledge. As soon as one strolls past me in the gym I am suddenly plagued by doubt and convinced I have my technique all wrong on a particular exercise. This has been known to happen. While I am probably the last thing on said strolling instructor’s mind, I still experience a moment of fear.
I also have a dread of being mistaken for what I like to call instructor groupies. I'm sure you've seen them in action. The gym bunnies who like to nab an unwary instructor and have long conversations while their victim tries politely to escape to attend to other clients they have to whip into shape.
Then there’s the way instructors look. So well-toned and slender. Sure, they need to be advertisements for what they do, but it doesn’t stop me feeling envious.
Even it was my job, I would never achieve that look. I’m fighting generations of large-framed sturdy women on both sides of the family. Good, strong, peasant stock in my ancestry, according to my mother. The type with what’s called child-bearing hips. Thanks to that lineage, I’ve never broken a single one of my sturdy bones but have no show of ever being called petite.
The problem with gym instructors looking the way they do is they don’t seem like ordinary mortals. My swim instructor was telling us the other day about a client who was astonished to hear she ate pizza.
While I appreciate instructors do, in fact, eat pizza and quite possibly chocolate as well, they don’t look like they have the same struggles as the rest of us common folk.
For example, today, I am aware there are too many carbohydrates in my lunchbox and not enough vegetables. I also wish I didn’t eat quite so many potato chips yesterday and wonder if it’s possible to shed the extra two kilos that crept on over Christmas before my mother’s wedding.
I was tired in my resistence training workout this morning and am not looking forward to my long weekend walk with much enthusiasm. All fairly normal daily issues stuff.
While they probably do, gym instructors just don’t appear to have to worry about this sort of thing.
All right, go ahead, let the mocking begin. Or you could tell me about what intimidates you. Either is good.
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My g/f is a gym instructor / pt, so I'd be in trouble if I was scared of gym instructors. Also as a result I tend to socialise with large numbers of such people.
They come in a reassuring variety of sizes and shapes (not to mention abilities). This is very true also of the instructors at the gym I go to, with a couple of them who are decidedly round, and the womenfolk have definitely got childbearing hips.
In my case familiarity has bred relaxation. Especially when you've seen gym instructors put away half a ton of junk food, several bottles of spirits, then gather enmasse and go outside for a smoke.
Male gym instructors are always soooo HOT. It's hard to work out when you're drooling.
I do not know about gym instructors but if they are anything like PE teachers in schools most of them will be brain dead psychopaths.
Some of them are good value people. Especially the ones who worked hard to lose weight, got into this whole fitness thing later in life and know what it's like to be mortal.
Haha know what you mean! I LURVE my sculpt instructor (Marie @ Configure Willis :) she is AMAZING. She isnt a stick figure, she's all muscle, but you actually see her in the gym doing her own thing as well as taking classes, and she's a brilliant motivator. And while she does know everybody's name in our class, she would never shame us. I like that she keeps track of all our little injuries, or other activities and has great advice for how our weights programme can assist. She's taking me for PT in April which should be great!
I get 'intimidated' (am in awe of) awesome netball players - my whole flat is NZ reps for indoor except me :) they still tell me I'm awesome though (great friends!)
See, when I go to the gym I don't really care what anyone else thinks including the instructors (actually I don't much care what other people think of me full stop). I live in my happy little bubble, completely zoned out to whatever is on my ipod so even if one of the instructors wanted to take me aside and teach me good technique (which I very much doubt in my gym) then I wouldn't notice. I've been training long enough to have confidence in my ability and I might not have perfect form 100% of the time but it's good enough to get the results I want. Maybe all you need Ann is more confidence in your own ability then you wouldn't get intimidated.
average jane #6 ahahhaha, small world. Ask Marie how she gets on when she's doing karaoke on a bus ...
I would comment but Leon #2 has basically summed it up entirely. Could be something to do with his g/f being my ex, so my experiences are nearly identical.
Geez, Leon and Geoff - is there ANYTHING you boys don't share...?
I don't pay any attention to the buffed-up trainers at my gym, because they are totally dwarfed by the Hurricanes, who also train there..... <big dribbly grin>
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Not so much an intimidation, more a danger. I find once the gym instructor, (in particular Spin and Pump instructors), learns your name, you are fair game to be picked on. They will single you out during a class and they will enjoy watching you suffer! I used to date a PT and I can confirm she ate pizza, and chocolate, LOTS of chocolate.